Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2022 edition of the Blue Book is now on sale. Alberta’s wheat, barley, canola and pulse commissions, which took over the popular publication last year from the provincial Ag Ministry, are adding new features. “Along with annual updates to crop protection products and information, enhancements to the 2021 Blue Book included a revised sprayer […] Read more
A sign of spring: New Blue Book is now on sale
Did you have grain contract issues in 2021?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley are asking producers to let them know how they were impacted by grain contracts. “We have heard that the drought of 2021 is having significant impacts on farmers’ ability to deliver on contracted grain commitments which is developing into financial concerns,” the two organizations said in a release. “This survey […] Read more
StatsCan confirms tight grain and oilseed stocks
Canadian corn stocks up on year
MarketsFarm — Canada’s tight supplies of canola, wheat and other crops following the 2021 Prairie drought received more confirmation from Statistics Canada with the release of updated stocks data on Tuesday. Canola stocks, as of Dec. 31, 2021, of 7.6 million tonnes were down 43 per cent from the previous year and the tightest since […] Read more
Feedlots in a tight spot as shipments of corn lag
A perfect storm has led to a shortage of corn shipments from the States
Reading Time: 4 minutes Feedlot owners will be anxiously watching for rail deliveries of American corn for the rest of the winter. “For us, we haven’t run out as of yet,” said Bryan Thiessen of Namaka Farms, a 29,000-head feedlot near Strathmore. “I don’t see that we are going to run out in the near future, but we’ve kept […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Alberta blockade affects feed grain deliveries
MarketsFarm — A truck blockade at a Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta. has caused some headaches for grain buyers in southern parts of the province. Since Saturday, commercial trucks and other vehicles have blocked Highway 4, a 103-km stretch which runs from the border to Lethbridge, to protest COVID-19 health measures. On the U.S. […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market establishes short-term stability
Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle traded $2-$4 on either side of unchanged. Steady demand was noted on 800-plus-pound cattle, but calves and lighter weights experienced softer buying interest. Favourable weather and optimal pen conditions along with firmer live cattle futures supported the yearling market. Imports of U.S. corn continue to run 10-14 […] Read more
Using the stuff of stars to make food safer and boost germination
Cold plasma can reduce micro-organisms on seed surfaces while improving germination
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s the stuff of stars, lightning bolts, and the aurora borealis — and now, Alberta researchers are finding uses for plasma a little closer to home. “There are so many applications for plasma in agriculture,” said M.S. Roopesh, assistant professor of food safety and sustainability engineering at the University of Alberta. “We have been doing a […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Markets facing uncertainty
MarketsFarm — Feed grain markets in Western Canada are facing some uncertainty amid tight domestic supplies and reports of transportation issues bringing up corn from the United States. “It’s very strange,” said Susanne Leclerc of MarketMaster Ltd. in Alberta. “You see stories like that (reporting on feedlots running low on grain), then you talk to […] Read more
Malt barley challengers gaining ground
Reading Time: < 1 minute CDC Copeland is still the most popular malting barley variety in Western Canada but its six-year reign may be coming to an end as AAC Synergy continues to grab acres. Copeland accounted for nearly 35 per cent of western Canadian acres last year — far below its nearly 50 per cent share in 2017 — […] Read more
Transport strains pile on drought-induced feed shortages
Importing U.S. corn not cheap
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers say they are just days away from running out of feed for cattle, due to severe drought last summer damaging crops needed to fatten them over winter and transportation bottlenecks. The drought devastated Prairie pastures and has now forced feedlots in Alberta, the main cattle-producing province, to buy more […] Read more
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